Paving the way for success in Gorbuz

KHOWST PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

02.20.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. andrew guffey 

Combined Joint Task Force 101

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army soldiers from Company C., 1st Battalion 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, along with Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police hosted the Gorbuz District Governor, Mohammed Akbar Zadram, at a ground-breaking ceremony for the Bowri Tana bypass at Combat Outpost Bowri Tana, Feb. 20.

The bypass is being built to enable travellers to navigate a stretch of road that has been closed because it passes too close to the COP and poses a security risk.

“Last year a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device hit the outside barrier, breaching the compound, so we were forced to close the road,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kent Ryan, a civil affairs team leader with the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion from Hartford, Iowa.

The closure forced people travelling through the region to use rougher, unpaved roads. Trucks hauling supplies and goods can be damaged travelling across the unpaved areas.

With a new road, goods can flow more easily through the district, said Ryan.

“After this road is finished, it will allow for quicker travel and bring more business to the Gorbuz District,” said U.S. Army Capt. Chris Smith, commander of Company C., 1st Bn., 26th Inf. Regt., and a native of Spokane, Wash.

With faster travel and more business comes a chance to boost the economy of the Gorbuz District.

“Our economy will be able to move forward after this project is finished,” said Zadram.

Though the road is one of the largest ongoing projects in the area, there are also plans to build wells around the Afghan National Security Forces compounds and construct a new cell phone tower.

“We wouldn’t be able to do these projects without the assistance of the U.S.,” said
Zadram.

• Date Taken: 02.20.2011
• Date Posted: 02.21.2011 13:31
• Story ID: 65831
• Location: KHOWST PROVINCE, AF